Publish, perish, or speak to someone

Sharing your struggles and seeking support are important parts of academic success.

In today’s academic culture, there’s an unspoken expectation of unwavering resilience and productivity. Many of us feel like we have to project the image of constant competence, creating an atmosphere where vulnerability can be seen as weakness. This environment fosters a silent struggle, with countless academics grappling with mental health challenges behind a facade of success.

My own experience with this began in my early 30s when I was diagnosed with clinical depression, stemming from how I dealt with (or, did not deal with) my mother’s terminal illness when I was younger. Balancing the demands of an academic career with these personal circumstances proved to be a significant challenge, and one that I tried to manage without help.

However, through professional support and self-reflection, I started questioning my approach to work, as well as the ‘publish or perish’ mentality. I realised that my own academic fulfilment came not just from research output, but from a holistic approach to scholarship. This shift in perspective opened up a broader view of academic success that valued teaching, mentorship, and community engagement alongside research. By focusing on scholarship in its fullest sense, I found a more sustainable and rewarding path towards calm productivity in academia.

Focusing on my own mental health and well-being had the associated effect of opening my views on my professional work, and my approach to scholarship.

Read: Rest is the start of creative work, not a reward.

Some suggestions for rethinking academic success (note that these are informed by my own experience, rather than a universal template for everyone):

• Redefine productivity by looking beyond publication count, citation factors, and other research-focused metrics to assess your impact. This is likely to be more, or less, difficult, depending on where you work and the specific requirements of your post.
• Embrace vulnerability by sharing your struggles and trying to foster a more supportive academic community. If no-one is talking about the challenges they face, it’s hard to even recognise the problem. Again, this will be different for everyone, as some institutional and departmental cultures may even actively discourage this kind of sharing.
• Prioritise mental health by incorporating self-care as an essential component of academic success, not separate from it.
• Diversify your focus by balancing research with teaching, mentoring (or service), and community engagement. My personal prompt is to remind myself that I am not my h-index.
• Challenge the status quo by questioning prevailing academic norms that may be detrimental to well-being.
• Seek support by asking for professional help when needed.
• Cultivate work-life balance by setting boundaries to maintain a fulfilling life outside academia.

By adopting these principles and recognising the challenges faced by academics who feel like they cannot speak about their struggles, we can work towards an academic culture that values both scholarly achievement and personal well-being, creating a more sustainable and fulfilling career path for everyone.